Topkapi Palace in Istanbul

Undoubtedly, one of the most important and historical places in Istanbul, is "Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi", belongs to the period of the Ottoman Empire. This beautiful place, which since 1942 and after the establishment of the "Republic of Turkey" has become a historical museum with a wide collection of books, manuscripts and relics of the Ottoman emperors, between 1478 and 1856, it was used as the administrative center and residence of the court of the Ottoman Empire.

History of Topkapi Palace

Topkapi Palace in 1450 and after the conquest of Constantinople (Istanbul), the capital of the Byzantine Empire by Sultan Mehmed II, in 1453, he ordered the construction of this palace and after its completion in 1478, resided there. Three years later, after the death of Sultan Muhammad II, Topkapi Palace has been expanded and renovated many times during the 600 years and the presence of 30 Ottoman emperors.

Topkapi Palace with: Islamic, Ottoman and European style, decoration and architecture (in which these changes have been made or added over time), has a capacity of 1000 to 4000 inhabitants, which on average, always about 300 people presented in the Harem section.

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Topkapi Palace Structure

As mentioned, Topkapi Palace has been renovated and modified many times to make it more efficient and expanded; also, it is interesting to know that most of the buildings built in Topkapi Palace are low height and built on one or two floors and have been used several times over the centuries; hence, some buildings (especially in the Harem), have not always had a specific use.

According to the original plan of Sultan Muhammad II, this palace consisted of 4 courtyards along which were separated by gates and surrounded by high walls. These courtyards, each designed for a specific purpose, gradually restricted entry and allowed fewer people to be present in the courtyards.

The Main Parts of Topkapi Palace

The First Courtyard of the Topkapi Museum Palace

The first courtyard, also known as "Outer Courtyard", is the largest and only public courtyard of Topkapi Palace, and during the Ottoman Empire any unarmed person could enter it. This courtyard, which was mostly used for various public ceremonies due to its size, was the busiest courtyard of the palace. Today, in this first yard, you can still see the artworks of artists and craftsmen of that era, which include: carpentry, tailoring, calligraphy, etc.; for this reason, in this courtyard, you can see a collection of all architectural styles and decorations that exist throughout the Topkapi Palace.

For example, in the Hagia Eirene, a brick-faced church during the Byzantine Empire, was used as an arsenal during the Ottoman Empire to repair weapons. Other things that can be mentioned in this regard, are:

The middle and symbolic gate of "Salutation", reminiscent of medieval European castles with pointed towers and concave walls.

A pavilion mansion, which due to its beautiful tiles inspired by the Iranian style "Timurid", with a multi-colored tiled porch.

A large arched hall that is enclosed on three sides and probably once had a sandy floor for the traditional "Jereed" equestrian competition, but is now home to the Imperial Ceramic Collection.

The Second Courtyard of the Topkapi Museum Palace

This courtyard, which is separated from the first courtyard by the Salutation Gate, is also called "Divan Square", which is the administrative center of Topkapi Palace, and is only for officials and members of the court could enter it. One of the interesting points of this administrative section is a window in a small room next to the "Tower of Justice", through which the Sultan sometimes listened to the conversations of the members present in the meetings without being seen. Also, this tower, as the tallest place in the palace, which provided the king with a view of the whole palace, was not only a reminder of his presence throughout the court, but also in the daily life of the complex.

Other sections in the second courtyard of Topkapi Palace include the following:

Several kitchens and confectionery workshops

Collection of porcelain of the Ottoman Empire (works from China and Japan)

External Treasury, which today is a place to display the weapons of the empire

The Third Courtyard of the Topkapi Museum Palace

The third courtyard of Topkapi Palace, separated from the second courtyard by the "Gate of Felicity", was the Sultan's private residence and the inner school for his children. In this section, which only the Sultan himself, family members, servants and approved visitors could enter, special and strict customs had to be observed, especially by the clients, some of which are: not making direct eye contact with the Sultan, keeping head down, talking only through an interpreter (when a foreign guest came to the Sultan), and ...

The third courtyard includes: royal dormitories for some special crews, a collection of some Islamic works (such as: the cloak, sword, and bow of Prophet Mohammad _(PBUH)), portraits of Ottoman Sultans, special soldiers’ dormitory, royal jewelry collection, Library of Sultan Ahmed III in the center of the courtyard contains rare manuscripts and many more.

The Fourth Courtyard of the Topkapi Museum Palace

One of the main differences between the 4 courtyards of Topkapi Palace, is the number of gardens and staircases in the third and fourth courtyards. In other words, as you move from the first yard to the fourth yard, the yard space becomes: greener, more decorations, the environment became more private, and fewer ordinary people can access them; hence, the fourth courtyard has very beautiful gardens full of flowers due to the Ottoman Sultans' interest in flowers and plants.

The Harem of Topkapi Museum Palace

The Harem of Topkapi Palace, which was clearly the residence of the royal family, was strictly segregated in different parts of it. This part of the palace, with many changes that it has seen over the years, is constantly evolving and changing the style of interior architecture, and various people to enter or exit from it have to go through the cobblestone courtyard of the Black Eunuchs to "the Main Gate/Royal". One reason for this has been the role of black eunuchs as guardians of the Harem (in addition to their other duties).

During the Ottoman period, the Queen-Mother lived in the central part of the Harem and had the main and the most power in this part; because in addition to being the main wife of the former Sultan and the mother of the current Sultan, this increased her power and influence over others as well as the present Sultan. Also, one of the most important roles of the Queen-Mother was to delivering the news of the government's affairs to her son, as a trusted person. Also, in addition to the presence of the Sultan's wives in this section, other people such as: the Sultan's sons, daughters, brothers and sisters also lived in one of the hundreds of rooms in the Harem.

Turning Topkapi Palace into a Museum Today

In the mid-19th century, the royal family moved from Topkap Palace to the newly built "Dolmabahçe Palace" by order of "Sultan Abdülmecid I", and over time, this palace was turned into a museum in 1924, and after the reconstruction of many different parts of it, today it holds various relics and treasures from the Ottoman Empire and shows them to the interested people.